TSCRA News Update

If you are planning on attending TSCRA’s Convention Weekend March 31-April 1 in Fort worth and haven’t yet made your sleeping room arrangements, we have some updates on the convention headquarters hotels. The Omni Fort Worth is sold out, but the Hilton Fort Worth still has plenty of rooms. If you’ve already made reservations at the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel, it has been slated for foreclosure and will be auctioned on March 6. If you have reservations at the Sheraton, we suggest reserving an alternative in order to guarantee a sleeping room. For instance, the Hilton Fort Worth has rooms available at comparable rates. More... →

attle rustlers recently targeted a ranch near Mansfield, and while a reward is being offered, cattle rustling is becoming more frequent in recent years. DFW’s NBC news station visited with TSCRA Special Ranger H.D. Brittain, a market inspector and victims of cattle theft. More... →

Most of the state received rain the third week of February, further greening up pastures and winter wheat, according to reports from Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel. In some cases, the rains stimulated the growth of winter grasses and small grains to the extent that it relieved the pressure on extremely limited hay supplies. However, in most areas, livestock producers still had to provide supplemental feed and hay to cattle. In many areas the hay they fed continued to come in from out of state. More... →

The politically volatile Keystone XL pipeline is becoming embroiled in a widening controversy in Texas as supporters tout the promise of jobs and other economic benefits while increasingly vocal opponents say the project would trample property rights and endanger water supplies in East Texas. More... →

The impact of the economy and higher prices for meat and poultry products are making a significant difference for consumers at the meat case. Price has taken on an ever-greater role in the meat purchasing decision process, as price per pound has solidified its number-one ranking as the most important decision factor for consumers, while total package cost is now the second most important decision factor, surpassing product appearance, according to the seventh annual “Power of Meat” study. More... →

AccuWeather.com reports following a near-record number of tornadoes in 2011, an active severe weather season with above-normal tornadoes is expected in 2012, due to a weaking La Nina weather pattern. The Deep South, including the Gulf States and eastern Texas, is expected to get hit by severe weather early in the season, mainly in March. By early April, the severe weather threat will retreat to the north, reaching the lower Ohio and mid-Mississippi valleys. More... →

For the week ending Feb. 18, feeder cattle prices at Texas auctions covered by USDA Market News were mostly steady to $4 higher per hundredweight (cwt). Texas direct feeder sales were steady to $1 higher and Oklahoma City was $1 to $4 higher on feeder cattle and steady to $8 lower on calves with steers posting the biggest losses. Fed cattle cash prices surged to a new record high $129 per cwt. on more than 16,000 head. Higher wholesale beef prices allowed packers to increase bids for the available cattle. The head count was still well below year-ago levels, but higher than in the past several weeks. More... →

Straight-line wind storms, thunderstorms and tornadoes can occur at any time of year in Texas. So it pays for individuals and families to plan what to do well in advance. Feb. 19 – 25, 2012, is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Texas. The Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas Department of Public Safety and the National Weather Service remind you that this is a good time to talk to your friends and family about emergency preparedness. More... →

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raiser Association (TSCRA) Special Ranger H.D. Brittain has reported the theft of cattle near the Johnson and Ellis County line. Stolen were 8 mostly black cows branded with a turkey track on their left hip and 9 unbranded calves weighing approximately 500 lbs. TSCRA Special Ranger Larry Hand, Dist. 13 in East Texas has also reported the theft of farm equipment, including a John Deere tractor with a rear hay fork, a red 28-foot gooseneck flatbed trailer and 100 gallons of farm diesel from a property near Lake Palestine in Smith County. More... →

As the most intense drought in state history drags on, plenty of Texans are waiting for months to have water wells drilled, fearful that their municipalities could impose stricter limits on water use. But this increased demand is causing concerns that groundwater in some places will start drying up, and regulators are working on rules to maintain certain groundwater levels. More... →